Sunday, November 20, 2016

When it comes to car GPS receivers, it doesn’t get much
better than Magellan. Building on this experience, they now offer dash cams.
Crime rates and car accidents seem to only be going higher and higher. If
security is important to you, then a dash cam can be perfect for you. Up for review
today is the Magellan MiVue 420 Dashcam.

oField of View (FOV):Camera has a 140°Viewing Angle to capture the entire width of
the road ahead of you.

oParking Mode:Provides peace of mind when a vehicle is
parked by monitoring where the camera is pointing for a maximum of 30 minutes
if the camera is not plugged into a socket continuously powered.

oDigital Camera Mode:Switch to Photo Mode and detach the front
camera from the mount to collect close-up still images.

oLane Departure Warning:Visual and audible warning notifies the driver
if they are wandering out of their lane.

oForward Collision Warning:Visual and audible warning alerts drivers if
they are getting too close to the car directly ahead.

oDriver Fatigue Alert:Receive an audible alert that it is time to
switch drivers, or if driving alone, take a break and relax. Driver's select
the amount of time they can drive before being reminded.

oHeadlight Reminder:At sunset drivers are notified to turn on
their headlights for better visibility and safer driving.

oSpeed and Traffic Camera Alerts:Avoid costly tickets by receiving audible and
visual warnings of fixed red light and speed cameras along your route Drivers
are able to add locations to the unit's internal database.

oCruise Speed Alarm:Audible and visual alarms to help you maintain
safe driving speeds.

oMiVue Manager:Upload and browse recorded video on iOS or PC
to organize, browse, and see routes overlaid in Google maps, as well as see
direction and force of impact, and more.

oRotating Mount Design:The front windshield camera mount allows the
unit to turn to record events taking place in the vehicle.

o8GB microSD Card Included:Compatible with Class 10 cards up to 128GB.
Record hours of video with the included card and up to 21 hours of video when a
128GB microSD card is purchased separately.

DEVICE

·Dimensions (English)3.5" x 1.9" x 1.5

·Dimensions (Metric)90mm x 49mm x 37mm

·Weight (English)3.6
oz

·Weight (Metric)102g

·Battery TypeLithium-ion
rechargeable

·Battery Lifeup
to 1 hr

SCREEN

·Screen Size2.7"

·Display TypeLCD

GPS
& SENSORS

·High-Sensitivity GPSYes

·G-sensor or AccelerometerYes

·GPS and Time StampYes

CAMERA

·Imaging SensorSony
CMOS

·Resolution1296p

·Horizontal View angle140°

·RotationYes

·Parking Watch ModeYes

·Camera ModeYes

·LensWide Angle

INTERFACE
& COMMUNICATIONS

·USB PortYes

The Magellan MiVue 420 Dashcam came in a great looking
printed box with photos of the dashcam and its specs. Opening the box showed a
well protected dashcam. Materials used in the construction were mostly plastic.
The quality of materials used was very good. The same is true for the fit and
finish. The Magellan MiVue 420 is a well made product and felt well made in
hand. The buttons were secure with good feel and feedback when pressed. Also
included was the windshield mount, power cord, and 8GB micro SD card.

Setting up the Magellan MiVue 420 was very simple.
Installing the windshield suction cup was extremely simple. And the dashcam
just slid into the mount. The power cord just plugged into the cigarette
lighter/power outlet. Once mounted and plugged in, the Magellan MiVue 420 was
easy to get set up in its settings, such it’s other features such as GPS and
lane departure alert. Now let’s hit the road and see how well it works.

I was impressed with the performance of the Magellan MiVue
420 dashcam. It was the type of performance I have come to expect from
Magellan. The use of its aperture and Wide Dynamic Range proved
to be key. During the day, it proved to give a great feature to help give an
image that was viewable even in bright sunlight. The same was also the case
with recording video at night. The video was better than expected. And while it
was dark, the headlights were amply able to light up the field of view for a
good recording. And oncoming headlights did not wash up the video to make it
viewable. And I loved the high resolution.

I also really liked the extra features. Impact recording is
perfect if you get into an accident, locking the video so it won’t get deleted.
Parking mode does the same thing thanks to impact sensors, in case something
hits your car while parked. Land Departing Feature and Driver Fatigue Alert
gives an audible alert if you start to drift lanes, to help wake you up. The
Cruise Speed alarm helps you keep a safe driving speed. Social Media Sharing makes
it easy to share your videos on YouTube or Facebook.

And if that wasn’t good enough, it also has Speed and
Traffic Camera Alerts.I absolutely
LOVED those features, and they in and of themselves can help pay for the
Magellan MiVue 420 based on the savings from the tickets due to the savings or
lack of these tickets. This will help you from getting these tickets, so it
will help pay the cost of the Magellan MiVue Dashcam.

The extra features also worked very good.The Lane Departure Feature worked great, but
did have a few hiccups.It's best
performance was during daylight hours.In the evenings it did miss my drifting over the median a couple
times.Daytime performance was better
than expected.And when the warning came on, it was a sufficiently
loud speech warning, and not just a beep that could be missed.If you aren't paying attention, or are just
day dreaming, the vocal warning is loud enough to get your attention. And I
liked the display of my speed.

The Magellan MiVue 420 Dashcam proved to be a great little
performer.And with an MSRP of only
$180, it is a good value as well.Being
loaded with extra features is a bonus. Based on it's design, features, quality,
and performance, the Magellan MiVue 420 Dashcam has earned our Editor's Choice
Award.For more info and complete specs
check out their website at www.magellangps.com.